It was a classic underdog setup on May 4 when the San Francisco Giants faced off against the Cincinnati Reds. The Giants hadn’t won at the Great American Ball Park in three years. They’d been trailing the Reds all game, resulting in a 3-10 score at the top of the sixth inning. Statistics showed the Reds had a 99% chance of winning. But then, the tide turned: The Giants held the Reds and started making runs. At the bottom of the ninth inning, the Giants were only one run behind their opponent with two outs and a pinch hitter,
Stephen Vogt, up to bat. Raisel Iglesias pitched to Vogt, who took a confident swing, and …
“It … is … outta here!”
Vogt’s home run tied the game, and Evan Longoria followed with another run in the 11th inning to end the game in the Giants’ favor at 12-11. Those watching saw sports history being made. Here are a few more tales of beating the odds. Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs: The 2004 Miracle There’s no “i” in team. But that didn’t stop Rockets’ player Tracy McGrady from scoring a heroic 13 points in the final 33 seconds of this 2004 basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs. Those final points resulted in a victory for the Rockets, boosting their rankings and confidence. US Women’s National Team vs. Brazil: 2011 World Cup Hope Having scored within two minutes of kickoff, things were looking up for the U.S. women’s team at the 2011 World Cup. But two goals against U.S. keeper Hope Solo soon brought the score to 2-1, in favor of Brazil. It wasn’t until minute 122 of overtime that soccer legend Abby Wambach saved the day with a goal to tie up the game. Solo’s elegant deflection of several penalty kicks secured a U.S. win and took the team into the semifinals.
IT’S BARBECUE SEASON
It’s barbecue season. Well, technically, it’s been barbecue season for a while now, but, for me, the new owner of a Weber Spirit II two-burner grill, it’s only just begun. For the past three years, I’ve had to live without grilled meats, fish, and vegetables. It was not a life choice. The terms of our lease prohibited grills to be used on our back porch, and, as any good attorney would, I abided by the terms of my contract. But those days are over! After a very lengthy process, Sam and I have moved a couple stops down the Blue line to a condo in the Logan Square neighborhood. For the first three weeks, the new place was mostly unfurnished. We had no couch, no dining room table, and no TV. We had a grill, though. It was the first item I purchased. I was so anxious to get it home that it did not occur to me that it wouldn’t fit inside Sam’s little Hyundai Elantra. So, there I sat by my shiny new grill in the Home Depot parking lot, waiting for Sam’s dad and his much larger trunk to come pick me up. Thus far, we’ve had burgers, chicken, fish, and vegetables. It may sound like pretty standard fare, but, after three years of baked chicken, just seeing grill marks is appetizing.
of July, or up at our cottage in Michigan, the grill was how we fed the masses. My dad and uncles were the grill masters back then, and I remember thinking what great responsibility they held to cook for all those people. Firing up the grill in July and August just feels right. Sam and I have a busy second half of summer, but I will be honing my skills as much as I can. Please send your favorite recipes, marinades, and rubs to jsvitak@shannonlawgroup.com. I will repay the favor!
– Jon Svitak
The grill was always a major part of the summers in my childhood. Whenever my family came together for Memorial Day, the Fourth
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